The Kings will need to cut one more player before the start of the season next week.
The Sacramento Kings announced on Tuesday that they waived guards Matt Coleman III and DJ Steward.
After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft, both Coleman (Texas) and Steward (Duke) were members of the 2021 Summer League Championship team.
Coleman saw success in the California Classic, scoring 14 points and 4 assists, while Steward appeared in three games for Sacramento in the Las Vegas Tournament, averaging 2.7 points in 8.5 minutes per contest.
Steward’s best game in a Kings’ uniform came in the championship deciding match-up with the Boston Celtics, where he collected 4 points and 2 steals.
Following their successful run in Vegas, both were signed to training camp contracts on Sept. 28.
Coleman appeared in all three of Sacramento’s preseason contests. Steward only saw minutes in Portland.
The NBA G League Draft is set for Saturday, Oct. 23, and whether one or both of their names are called, I expect these two to land within the development league. While going undrafted puts a tremendous amount of difficulty around a player finding success in the association, a swelling buzz around the G League has allowed for its growth and prosperity in the last five years.
If Coleman and Steward can continue to develop, it shouldn’t be long before these #SummerKings get another chance to prove themselves worthy of an NBA roster spot.
As it stands currently, the Kings have 18 players remaining on the roster: 16 players who are regularly contracted and 2 players who are on two-ways deals. Sacramento will need to make one more round of cuts before their season opener vs. the Portland Trailblazers on Oct. 20.